Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the spooky tales which have attached themselves to our watering holes are a chance to reflect on the history of these wonderful buildings – and those who lived in the area in much older times.
Victims of a notorious serial killer, an unfortunate pub worker, and a conscientious cleaning lady still keeping things neat from beyond the grave are among the ghosts said to walk our haunted hostelries.
Sadly, many of the area’s historic pubs have closed in recent years, with the industry facing some tough challenges.
So we have also included some closed pubs at the end (and sneaked in a restaurant), which are now under new guises, at the end. Do the ghosts linger there still?
17. The old Grey Horse, Whitburn
Now closed as a pub and housing a Coop store instead. Legend has it that the ghost of a former pub cleaning lady may have haunted the building. Occasional creaking and knocking noises noted by regulars were credited to “Mrs T doing her cleaning rounds”. Photo: jpimedia